YUMBE. East Alipi primary school (PS) in Romogi Sub County, Yumbe district which was on Tuesday closed over concerns of inadequate sanitary facilities has reopened.

The school was reopened on Thursday following an order issued by Mr Rasul Luriga, the Yumbe district Education officer (DEO). This is after the heated meeting held at the school on Wednesday.

Reports indicate that shortly after the meeting, the school administration started sending text messages to parents asking them to send their children back to school the following day.

When West Nile Web visited the school on Friday morning, activities were going on normally besides the worrying condition of the toilets.

Ms Amana Angucia, the head teacher of the school said they obeyed the order issued by the DEO, a reason they acted quickly to call back pupils to school.

Ms Amana Mundua, the head teacher checking the temporary latrine. PHOTOS BY ROBERT ELEMA

She said a total of 245 pupils turned up on Thursday and about 500 on Friday out of the total enrolment of 742 children.

"We sent text messages to parents to send their children back to school but others have not complied. We have fully resumed activities in the school with all the 12 teachers present for work," Angucia said.

"We were convinced by the district and Sub County officials that the matter will be addressed within three days and that is why, we got the moral to resume duty. If there will be no action taken on the filled up toilet within the stipulated ultimatum, I will write back to the officials to act," Angucia added.

She said since it is risky to use the toilet that is already full, they have allowed the boys to use a two stance temporary latrine at the moment as they wait for the intervention of the Sub County authority.

Angucia however, observed that their worry is in case there will be heavy rain, the temporary latrine will collapse.

Mr Taban Wawa, the Gombolola internal security officer(GISO) for Romogi Sub County who was on Wednesday accused of ordering for the closure of the school also made a follow up on Friday.

"Nothing has so far been done following the Wednesday meeting that involved a number of stakeholders and we shall continue to follow up the matter until something is done for the school," Wawa wrote in the school visitors’ book.

Mr Jackson Andima the inspector of schools for Romogi Sub County said it is good that the school has reopened because second term is short and keeping the children at home will make them lose a lot thus affecting their performance.

Mr Siraji Vuni, the Romogi Sub County health assistant said the proposal to apply bio digester in the latrine has been reversed to emptying of the feacal matter.

"We have agreed as a Sub County to empty the feacal matter manually and we have set the workers ready to begin the work on Saturday. We have scheduled Saturday so that the dislodging process gets the children at home," Vuni said.

He noted that dislodging the feacal matter manually is cheaper than using the cesspool emptier that costs about Shs3m.